Released in 1980 by Stern Electronics of Chicago, Berzerk is a multidirectional shooter game designed by Alan McNeil. It is recognised as one of the earliest arcade video games to utilise speech synthesis, following Taito's Stratovox. In the game, players navigate through top-down, maze-like rooms filled with armed robots.

Berzerk can be played either 1 or 2 player, with players taking turns. Each controls a different coloured character green or purple.

To play the game, the player uses a joystick and a firing button to control a laser-style weapon while moving through a maze. The player must avoid getting shot by robots, running into them, or being electrocuted by the maze walls. And most importantly, steer clear of the games main baddie Evil Otto!

Evil Otto is represented as a bouncing ball with a smiley face. The character is unusual as a baddie for games of this period in that he is indestructible. Whilst there are robots on the screen he moves pretty slowly and is easily avoidable but as soon as the stage is cleared he matches the speed of the player, moving side to side and even faster when moving up and down. To escape the player needs to exit the maze through one of the openings and progressing to the next level.

Berzerk rightly sits near the very top of all time great arcade games. From the synthesised speech, to the brilliant gameplay, its legacy has been felt across all parts of gaming and movie history.

The gameplay is timeless and it is one well worth checking out on any visit to Square Eye.